Chapter 417: Strife?

Those who could participate in the meeting were all important members of the Spirit Realm Pavilion, the Qihuang Pavilion, and the Nine Streets Hall, and none of them were ordinary people; they were all very perceptive when it came to matters concerning their own safety.

Hua Changxi's gaze was very direct, giving many people the feeling that they were being 'seen through'.

Especially since she showed no intention of concealing it.

Because Hua Changxi had never attended any meeting before, many in the hall were experiencing her up close for the first time, and also witnessing the assertiveness of the 'Number One of the Alchemy Saint Hall'.

"Hua Changxi's oppressive aura is getting stronger and stronger."

Tang Yufeng sent a telepathic message to Gu JinFan with a sighing expression, and his tone also revealed undisguised envy.

Upon hearing this, Gu JinFan felt infinitely emotional.

The emergence of the Wutong Forest and the invasion of Nanxiang County by the Phoenix Clan could be said to be a small-scale rehearsal of the conflict between the human race and the demon race.

The Vermilion Bird Army was the vanguard, the Demon-Suppressing Army and the Xuan Yuan Army were the rear guard, and the Five Holy Lands were the logistics.

Although there were still many shortcomings in coordination, it ultimately facilitated the linkage of these major forces.

And Hua Changxi had grown into a decisive power that determined the direction of the battle.

Regarding Hua Changxi's rapid rise, Gu JinFan's mentality had shifted from the previous complicated surprise to a sense of relief and calm.

Regardless, she also deserved some credit for it.

Just as everyone was trying to lower their presence to avoid Hua Changxi's gaze, Wen Shouren, Xia Zhen, Princess Lingyuan, and a few others arrived.

The newcomers were clearly somewhat surprised to see Hua Changxi already seated.

However, after Xia Zhen found his seat taken, obvious displeasure flickered in his eyes.

Wen Shouren seemed completely oblivious to this; he strode over with a laugh and sat in the first seat on the right, directly opposite Hua Changxi.

Seeing this, Xia Zhen had no choice but to suppress his dissatisfaction, follow behind Wen Shouren, and sit expressionlessly in the seat next to him.

When Princess Lingyuan saw that Xia Zhen had taken her seat, her expression immediately soured, but she didn't have the courage to challenge the Guardian family, the Xia Clan, so she looked at Hua Changxi sitting in the first seat on the left.

Remembering Chu Tianxun's warning, Princess Lingyuan hesitated for a moment and ultimately did not ask Hua Changxi to give up the seat; with a cold face, she sat down silently in the seat next to Hua Changxi.

At this point, except for the three still-vacant seats at the head of the table, the entire meeting hall was full, and the atmosphere grew even more delicate.

Wen Shouren's gaze had been fixed on Hua Changxi, with a perfectly appropriate smile on his face, as he broke the silence: "Today I finally get to see Peak Master Hua attending a meeting of the Holy Land."

After hearing this, Hua Changxi smiled and said, "Holy Land? I'm a bit unaccustomed to hearing that term."

Wen Shouren did not miss the sneer that flashed in Hua Changxi's eyes, and his gaze flickered.

What did Hua Changxi mean?

Did she think they were unqualified to represent the Holy Land?

Before Wen Shouren could think further, the nearby Xia Zhen could no longer restrain himself and spoke with a sarcastic tone: "Peak Master Hua is as competitive as ever..."

The smile on Hua Changxi's face became even more pronounced; she knew Xia Zhen was referring to her sitting in the left front seat, so she let out a snort of laughter: "Competition?"

"What have I competed for?"

"This seat I'm sitting in now?"

Hua Changxi suddenly looked at Wen Shouren and asked with a smile: "Fellow Daoist Wen, do you think I am qualified to sit in this seat?"

Seeing that Hua Changxi had dragged him into her confrontation with Xia Zhen, Wen Shouren's mouth twitched, but he still smiled and said: "Of course, no one is more qualified than Peak Master Hua."

Having received a satisfactory answer, Hua Changxi then turned her gaze to Xia Zhen: "Fellow Daoist Xia, your vision is truly limited. A seat that represents nothing—how is that worth competing over?"

"If I really wanted to be ranked first or compete for precedence... it wouldn't be just a small squabble over swapping a few seats."

Hua Changxi gave a light, contemptuous hum and laugh, then looked away, as if she couldn't be bothered with Xia Zhen.

Xia Zhen was angered by Hua Changxi's arrogant attitude, but he did not flare up; instead, he chose silence and said no more.

There was no helping it—Hua Changxi was a bit arrogant, but she really did have grounds for her arrogance.

Let alone whether she was the master of Lingguang Hall; even her contribution to the revival of the Alchemy Saint Hall was undeniable by anyone.

Not to mention that Hua Changxi also held control over the Danyuan Secret Realm, and her talent and skill in alchemy and medicine, which had drawn the attention of countless people.

When it came to overall strength, across the entire Holy Land, there were truly few who could surpass her.

Xia Zhen felt very aggrieved. He couldn’t refute Hua Changxi, and he didn’t dare to either.

He knew that young people could not stand being provoked.

Hua Changxi was currently in the Holy Land. Although her reputation was loud, she had little presence and almost never participated in any affairs. This situation was the best for the Xia family.

He did not want his own words to provoke her into stepping forward to contend for power and influence.